A Welsh author has launched a bitter attack on taxpayer-funding for writers in Wales, calling for the money to be diverted to cash-strapped health and education budgets.

Julian Ruck said that subsidies for Welsh authors and publishing houses stifled quality as writers were not forced to hone their craft with readers in mind.

He said that since the 1950s there had not been “one single Welsh writer of any national or international note”.

In a speech due to be given to a literary festival, which was cancelled before he was due to speak, he revealed figures showing £4m of public money had been paid to authors and publishing houses through Literature Wales and the Welsh Books Council in the last four years.

He said: “The Welsh publishing industry is nothing more than a parasitical, elitist carbuncle on the hide of a struggling Welsh economy.

“Of course one will never obtain sales figures for the winning works.”

His speech was set for the closing of the Kidwell-e Festival – UK’s first literary event celebrating the e-book and its growing popularity.

Ruck, who privately funded the event, was scathing about the quality of writing that the grants subsidised.

He said: “Where are the giants of Welsh writing? Where are the Welsh Seamus Heaneys and James Joyces or for that matter the Jeffrey Archers and James Pattersons? Or even the odd bookish shade of grey?

“Since the 1950’s there hasn’t been one single Welsh writer of any national or international note to hit the tarmac beyond the Severn Bridge.

“The hunger to create for an audience has been stifled, the warts and all of learning the trade have been burnt away, the cleansing of rejection and reality of commercial brutality is no more.”

Ruck, who has written three novels described on his website as thrillers or family saga novels, cited figures obtained through the Freedom of Information Act which showed that four Welsh publishing firms had been granted significant sums from the public purse over the last four years.

In total, over the same period from 2008 to 2012, grants to Welsh writers totalled £1,409, 493.

He said: “Not only are Welsh writers subsidised but so of course are their Welsh publishers. So you have a situation where firstly the writer receives a hand-out to write the book and then the publisher receives a hand-out to publish it. So, a double whammy for the tax-payer if you like.”

He added: “Cancer patients can’t get the drugs they need because they are too expensive.... Wheelchairs are in short supply, families can’t get the care they need for their elderly relatives and yet the Welsh Assembly feels it is morally right to dish out millions of pounds of your money for a few people to propagate a Welsh ‘literary’ agenda that few are interested in, whose books, magazines and pamphlets patently don’t pay their way and most importantly of all, contributes precisely nothing for the overall good of society.”

“It is time Welsh publishers and Welsh writers operated under normal commercial rules. The state simply can no longer afford to indulge you. There are far more important priorities to consider.

“And for all you Welsh writers out there, genuine talent will always prevail. Good writing will always be read and will always sell. If your work has these essential qualities then you don’t need the exhausted tax-payer to fund it – full stop.”

Literature Wales' chief executive Lleucu Siencyn issued a full statement in response to Mr Ruck, defending the organisation and naming Philip Pullman, RS Thomas, Ken Follett, Gillian Clarke and Owen Sheers as great writers Wales had produced and nurtured since the 1950s.

Elwyn Jones, chief executive Welsh Books Council said the body revises and monitors its schemes regularly to ensure that funding offers the best possible value for money.

“Literature and the arts are funded in countries throughout the world,” he said.

“In a market dominated by large English and American publishers, it is testament to the success of Welsh authors, publishers and funding bodies that in the past year titles published in Wales have been listed for the Man Booker Prize, the T. S. Eliot Award and the Costa Prize.

“They have also found commercial success, such as sports titles by Eddie Butler and Simon Easterby and popular autobiographies, including that of radio presenter, Chris Needs.

“We are confident that with relatively modest funds, our schemes support books that enrich Welsh culture, placing it on an international platform.”

Since the formation of the new organisation Literature Wales, our aim has been to enable literary talent in Wales that benefits the country socially and economically.

One of Literature Wales’ key aims is to enable participation in the literary arts by everyone in all the regions of Wales. This would not be possible without public funding and the varied projects and initiatives Literature Wales provides and manages.

Literature Wales offers a balanced, high-quality, socially inclusive programme of literary activity that overcomes barriers imposed on the delivery, enjoyment and participation of literatureby geography, demography, race, origin, religion, education, health, age, ability, resource and inclination. No other publicly funded art form in Wales offers such good value for money.

Literature provision is inexpensive and undoubtedly cost effective.

Literature offers the means to address low literacy levels amongst children and adults alike in an accessible, entertaining and stimulating manner. Many Literature Wales activities are specifically targeted at those living in deprived and disadvantaged communities, including mental health patients, minority language communities and disadvantaged school children. Without publicly funded literature provision, Wales would be a poorer country indeed.

Literature Wales activities include the Writers on Tour funding scheme; the Young People’s Writing Squads; the Wales Book of the Year Award; writing courses at T? Newydd; Translators’ House Wales; Writers’ information services; Writers’ Bursary Awards, Mentoring and Critical Service; Writing competitions; The National Poet of Wales; the Young People’s Laureate and Bardd Plant Cymru; Literature development nationally and in the regions of Wales; festivals; public literature programmes and events; literature promotion; bringing literature from Wales to the world stage; literature for vulnerable adults and young people; and cultural tourism.

Lleucu Siencyn, Chief Executive of Literature Wales

The organisation named several writers it said had been produced and nurtured in Wales including R.S. Thomas, Philip Pullman, Ken Follett, Gillian Clarke and Owen Sheers.